Finding and keeping unity in your marriage is a vital boundary to manage. But getting there can be challenging. —Ron Deal
Speaking from experience, that’d certainly be true for any marriage but especially so for blended families.
For starters, my husband is stepfather to my son. My sister-in-law married my brother who already had two children from his first marriage (and now together they’re adopting two school-age boys). Both of our families have had a myriad of challenges. Twenty-five years ago there were very few books available to help me and my husband navigate through the stepfamily dynamics. Today, thanks to Ron Deal, host and executive director of FamilyLife Blended, there is no short supply–and in fact, Ron’s book The Smart Stepmom was a welcome resource for my sister-in-law just a few years ago.
Releasing this month is another excellent resource co-authored by Ron with Gary Chapman. In their book, Building Love Together in Blended Families, couples will not only learn how to build their own marriage, but also sibling relationships and involving grandparents. As you might expect, this book weaves in the principles from Gary’s book The 5 Love Languages and how applying them in the stepfamily can only further strengthen relationships.
Later this month on FamilyLife Today (airing 2/17-19), Ron and Gary will join Bob Lepine and Dave and Ann Wilson to talk about their book. Since it’s likely half of your audience has a stepparent or stepchild connected relationship, be sure to tell them to tune in for this 3-day series. We’re confident it will be a welcome encouragement.
For a look at the rest of what’s airing on the daily broadcast during February, download the Program Tool Kit now.
By the way, if you’re not yet airing Ron’s 1:00 feature, FamilyLife Blended, we invite you to consider adding it to your program line-up (customization is available). Check it out here and take a listen to the sample feature. If you’d like more to audition, email me. And for everything you need to know about Ron’s ministry to stepfamilies, especially about their upcoming Blended and Blessed event April 25, visit here.
In the meantime, thank you for all you do in your community to bring help and hope to marriages and the uniqueness of every family.
